Mrs. Willis glanced at Dwayne Dantès's face and laughed without the slightest restraint:
"Your past, your experiences in Dicy Bay and the Southern Continent, are more exciting than all the novels I've read. They make me want to have the same experiences."
Of course, this was based on a true story, thanks to Anderson Hood, a hunter who is always running around... Klein looked at the little cream cake and chuckled softly:
"Because I only tell the interesting parts. There are plenty of things I don't want to remember."
He made this brief remark and then started enjoying the dessert, but when Mrs. Willis and the other ladies heard this, they somehow remembered the title of a best-selling novel: "A Man with a Story." In their eyes, Dwayne Dantès was exactly that—on the surface, as still as a lake, but you couldn't see the bottom, hiding many surprises and burying a lot of pain.
At 9:40, the dinner ended. Some gentlemen and ladies went together to the card room, planning to play two hours of Texas Hold'em. The remaining men headed to the living room for some casual chat. The ladies weren't excluded, but because there were many smokers and inevitably some risqué topics, none of the ladies joined in. They either went downstairs to gather around the piano, listening to a volunteer play and singing along softly, or paired off to play chess or other games.
Klein chose to go to the living room on the second floor. A smaller, private conversation would help him get accepted into the circle faster.
Entering the room, he took in the surroundings, went straight to the window, opened it, and pulled up a high-backed chair to sit down.
As soon as Klein finished this sequence, he saw Portland Momont, the host of tonight's dinner, holding a pipe and laughing heartily:
"Men always need a little space of their own."
He was a loud, tall, red-faced old man in his sixties. His hair was still thick but had gone completely white. His features were typical of a common Loen citizen—plain and unremarkable.
"Exactly. When ladies are around, you have to care about your image and consider their feelings. I've been wanting to kiss it for an hour now." Councilman Macht, Hazel's father, then took out an ornate silver metal case and pinched out a cigarette.
The other men in the living room did the same, pulling out pipes or cigarettes like magicians.
Flashes of fire, and wisps of smoke curled up, giving the room a feeling that yesterday's smog hadn't cleared.
After enjoying it with his eyes closed for a few seconds, Portland Momont turned to the guest by the window and asked:
"Dwayne, don't you smoke?"
Klein made a fist, put it to his mouth, and coughed a couple of times:
"I haven't recovered yet. The doctor told me not to smoke for the time being."
Honestly, he was about to be choked. Good thing he'd been smart enough to pick a spot by the window.
These heavy smokers... Klein rubbed his right index finger under his nose.
He thought about using the 'Magician''s Beyonder power to create an invisible, slender air tube to draw in fresh air and avoid the secondhand smoke, but considering that there might be Beyonders hiding among the men here, he rationally gave up the idea.
When he heard this, Portland Momont burst out laughing:
"I heard from Bishop Elektra that your illness isn't without reason—you're missing a wife!"
This full professor himself was a believer of the God of Steam and Machinery, but his wife followed the Goddess of the Night, so they had settled on Berkeley Street near Saint Samuel Church. Bishops often visited and exchanged ideas.
Was he mocking him for still thinking about women while sick? He never would have guessed that Bishop Elektra was such a gossip... It's all the fault of that 'Magic Mirror' Arrodes! Klein grumbled to himself, shook his head, and said with a smile:
"I respect marriage. If there isn't a suitable target, I'd rather stay single."
At that moment, Mr. Willis, a senior employee of the Backlund City Government, blew a smoke ring and said:
"Actually, I envy Dwayne's current single status. It means I can pursue any type of lady."
He purposely emphasized 'any type,' earning a round of ambiguous laughter from everyone in the room.
Had word already spread through this whole neighborhood that Dwayne Dantès had broad tastes and didn't resist any type of attractive woman? Klein controlled his right hand, refraining from rubbing his forehead, and felt that the image he had created—a wealthy newcomer with depth, class, looks, and conversation—was undergoing a subtle change.
He initially suspected Bishop Elektra, that big mouth, for leaking it. But then he wondered if his butler, Walter, had actively spread the word through the servants.
Because a man with no flaws, who is extremely charming, is always unconsciously rejected by the other men in the circle. But once he had a flaw, a topic for teasing, people found it easier to get close to him.
Instead of getting angry at this slightly off-color teasing, Klein graciously gave a wry smile:
"So that's why I have trouble choosing and am still single."
"Haha." Portland Momont and the others burst out laughing.
Councilman Macht then said: